The trailer set up for free Santa pictures, built and operated by Mike Willett was shut down on Saturday, Dec. 14 at Mt. Blue Plaza in Farmington. Leo Goddard/Franklin Journal

FARMINGTON — On Friday, Dec. 13, Mike Willett could be found at Mt. Blue Plaza beside his modified and decorated trailer in the cold, happily waiting for families to show up for pictures with Santa. However, just the next day, he was tearing it all down with a deep frown on his face.

The trailer set up for free Santa pictures, all lit up at night, built in operated by Mike Willett before it was shut down on Saturday, Dec. 14 at Mt. Blue Plaza in Farmington. Submitted photo

During an interview on Dec. 13, Willett told The Franklin Journal that he knows there isn’t as much to do than some other bigger towns. He said that he noticed that there weren’t many places for kids to get photos with Santa, and that families often have to travel far for the opportunity and then are faced with high prices for the photos.

“After looking online and seeing how much they are charging for photos with Santa in the Auburn Mall, it was ridiculous!” Willett said. “You have options starting as low as $40 minimum per child to take that picture with Santa. Now families that have three or four children, they cannot afford to spend $200 on pictures like that.”

His solution? A pop-up photo booth for free photos with Santa. “I called the town, originally got permission with them, the police department, then they said contact the owner to get permission first,” said Willett. He spoke with multiple businesses and got approvals all around before setting up his pop-up booth.

Willett set up shop in the Mt. Blue Plaza parking lot, just between the Dollar Tree and The Granite Group. “I chose this spot way out of the way, where it wasn’t going to be an inconvenience,” Willett said. He started setting up his photo booth by converting his trailer. He built stairs and posts with wood and made signs. Then he decked the trailer in Christmas decor, including lights and an inflatable snowman. Holiday music played as well, all of the electronics being powered by a generator.

On Dec. 7, the pop-up photobooth was open to the public. Darin Beaulieu, also known as Steampunk Santa, played Santa Claus. Willett provided one free polaroid picture with Santa for those who stopped by.

Darin Beaulieu played Santa Claus at the pop-up photobooth in Mt. Blue Plaza on Friday, Dec. 13, before it was shut down the next day in Farmington. Leo Goddard/Franklin Journal

Children could also pick a present afterward for free, and free hot cocoa was offered as well. If parents wanted to take some more photos with their own device, it was a $12 fee per session. The event was sponsored by Willett’s business, Roadmark Industries. Any money received went toward the cost of polaroid film, Willett said.

“I just wanted to be able to let let all the children experience this regardless,” Willett initially said. “If their parents have the financial means or not, no child should [have] to go without and this is my way of trying to give back to the community the best way that I can.”

Willett was excited about the positive feedback, saying that they were only faced with delight and appreciation. He said that he wished he had done more advertising ahead of time, but that the turnout was good for what he had.

He even began to plan for next year’s event, hoping it could become an annual event. He said that he had been in contact with someone about the potential for four live reindeer to visit in the future.

Unfortunately, the following day, Saturday, Dec. 14, Willett received an email from Michael A. Jacobson at King Real Estate informing him that he had not gotten the correct permissions to be there, that he must shut down and move out of the lot as soon as possible.

“You need to remove all of it immediately,” the email read. “We have no idea who you are or why you would do this without prior authorization. You have 24 hours to vacate or we will consider it trespassing. Our tenants pay to operate their businesses and we do not allow this.”

“So as soon as I saw it today, I started pulling down before they started getting the police involved and I got to go through dealing with the criminal trespass or something,” Willett said. “It’s not worth the aggravation.”

He was also approached by the Property Manager Renee Targett, who claimed that it was a liability issue. “It was a nice thing that he was trying to do,” Targett told The Franklin Journal. “But insurance-wise, it’s a liability.”

“I can understand their point, you know?” Willett said, visibly upset. “But I came here, I shoveled the way. I provided my own salt, to salt around it. I made no extra work for the plow guys. I had waivers for the parents to sign, so there was zero liability and I had a million-dollar policy that I sent her a copy of to show her, so they had zero liability at this point, you know?”

The trailer set up for free Santa pictures, all lit up at night, built in operated by Mike Willett before it was shut down on Saturday, Dec. 14 at Mt. Blue Plaza in Farmington. Submitted photo

Targett said that there was a big mix-up, that Willett never actually had permission as he asked the wrong people.

Willett shared that he spoke with Joey Cousineau on the phone at one point, believing that he was the owner of the property. Willett said that it was clear he was looking for permission and that Cousineau never corrected him, leading Willett to believe he had obtained the correct permissions.

“I’m not trying to be a conspiracy theorist but, too many coincidences together,” said Willett.

Darin Beaulieu played Steampunk Santa at the pop-up photobooth in Mt. Blue Plaza on Friday, Dec. 13, before it was shut down the next day in Farmington. Leo Goddard/Franklin Journal

Willett said that he was most frustrated by Targett telling him that although he was trying to spread holiday cheer, “unfortunately, some things are just not meant to be.” He said that taking down his pop-up has disappointed community members including his own family.

He said that he doesn’t want the community to think that he turned his back on them by “vanishing without a trace or reason.”

Beaulieu said that they were just trying to do something good for the community, to spread Christmas cheer. “That’s what Santa does,” he said.

“[Jacobson] made it quite clear with the way he wrote that message, you know that the businesses are paying in here,” Willett said. “The corporate greed means that much to ruin a lot of the children’s holidays that was looking forward to coming there.”

As of now, despite his disappointment and frustration, Willett still plans to bring back the event next year, making sure to get the proper approval needed.